Grain cleaning and treating apparatus



March 19, 1957 w. WALKER 2,785,798

GRAIN CLEANING AND TREATING APPARATUS 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 12. 1955 William Walker IN! 'E.\' TOR.

4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Fig.5

INVENTOR.

BY MM fiM March 19, 1957 w. WALKER GRAIN CLEANING AND TREATING APPARATUS Filed Oct. 12, 1955 United States Patent C GRAIN CLEANING AND TREATING APPARATUS William Walker, Columbus, Kans.

Application October 12, 1955, Serial No. 539,977

9 Claims. (Cl. 209-10) This invention relates generally to separation apparatus and is more particularly concerned with a novel seed cleaning, treating and dispensing machine.

A principal object of invention is to provide a unitary relatively compact seed cleaning machine incorporating a readily accessible hopper for subjecting uncleaned seed at a controlled rate to a rotating apertured cleaning cylinder and air draft for affording material separations in which the separated clean seed is subjected to a pressure dispensed treatment substance before subsequent conveying and disposition in bags.

A further object of invention in conformance with that set forth above is to provide in a seed cleaning machine of the character set forth a power rotated open ended cleaning cylinder having at least two banks of adjustable longitudinally disposed annular aperture portions afiording a plurality of material separations through said banks of apertures and out of a rear end portion of said cylinder due to a forced draft and rotation of said cylinder.

Another object of invention in conformance with that set forth above is to provide in a seed cleaning machine of the character set forth means for pressure dispensing a seed treatment substance incorporating novel means for applying said treatment substance to the cleaned grain prior to passage into a mixing drum, said nozzle communicating with a pressure chamber providing a screened treatment substance wherein said pressure chamber communicates between a pressure pump and treatment sub-.

stance reservoir between which the treatment substance is circulated.

port-ring adjustably and removably supported from a vertical support surface and including a resilient support ring and clamping ring for removably securing a bag in an upwardly opening position.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the novel seed cleaning machine; a

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view taken substantially on line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view taken substantially on line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary sectional viewtakensubstan-- tially on line 4-4 of Figure 2;

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken substantially on lin 5-5 of Figure-3;

igure 8 is a sectional view on a somewhat enlarged 'lce scale showing the manner in which the endless conveyor is disposed between the cleaning cylinder while rotated;

Figure 9 is an enlarged sectional view taken substanti ally on line 9-9 of Figure 1;

Figure 10 is an enlarged sectional view taken substantially on line 10-10 of Figure 1 with the clamp ring in position; and

Figure ll is an exploded perspective view of the su port and clamp rings for the upwardly opening bags.

Indicated generally at 10 is the novel seed cleaning machine which includes a housing member 12 incorporating end wall members 14 and 16 suitably secured to side wall members 18 and 20. The end wall 14 includes a pair of downwardly opening notch portions 22 and 24 for accommodating therein suitable ground engageable wheels,

pivot element 36 to the side walls 18 and 20, the legs 3:4

being secured at their outer ends 38 by means of a suitable handle member 40, the inner ends 42 being engageable on the upper surface of a laterally projecting abutment element 44, and thus when the handle element 40 is lifted upwardly the legs 34 will pivot about the pivot portion 36 urging the ends 42 into engagement with the abutment element 44 and thus the seed cleaning machine may be readily transported. As seen in Figure 2, the handle assembly 32 will be normally disposed with the handle 46 extending downwardly when the machine is not being transported.

For the purpose of description the end wall 14 will be designated as the forward end of the machine whereas the end wall 16 will identify the rear end of the machine.

The housing member includes an upwardly opening upper portion identified generally at 46 and being comprised of suitably secured downwardly angulated side walls 48 and 50, and end walls 52 and 54. The bottom portion of the hopper 46 is defined by an endless conveyor assembly 56 rotatable in a direction to carry uncleaned seed toward the hopper wall portion 54 fora purposeto be subsequently described, said conveyor including a pair of transverse shafts 58 and 60 suitably supported by means of depending bracket elements 62 and 64, see Figure 3, which include transversely aligned aperture portions rotatably receiving a drive shaft 66 therethrough,

clearly seen in Figure 2, the hopper wall 54 terminates short of the conveyor 70 defining an open space 74 through which the seeds may fall when moved by the conveyor assembly. The space 74 is controlled by means of a feed gate element 76 which is juxtaposed on the hopper wall portions 54 and reciprocates toward and away from the conveyor belt 70 through the expedient of a suitable elongated slot in the gate element 76 and a wing nut assembly 78.

A pair of transversely spaced longitudinally extending rotatable shafts 80 and 82 extend in suitable journal por--. tions between inner surface portions of the end walls 14,

and 16, said shafts having secured thereon roller elements 84 which may have a rubber covered periphery 86, the

and rearward directions, respectively, see the directio arrowsinFigure 2..

tending longitudinally between suitable bearing journal portions 192 and 194 suitably secured on oppositely disposed inner surface wall portions of the end walls 14 and 16, respectively, in any suitable manner, said journal portions rotatably support a longitudinally extending support shaft 196 which rotatably supports a mixing drum 198, said drum having an open front end 200 and an open rear end 202 defined by an annular flange portion 204, the drum being supported on the shaft 196 by means of suitable transverse spider members 206 suitably secured on the inner periphery of the drum and the shaft. The shaft 196 has located thereon adjacent the rear end wall 16 a suitable pulley member 207 which has journaled thereover a drive belt 208, see Figures 2 and 4, for example, said belt 208 being journaled over a suitable drive pulley 210 fixed to an intermediate portion of the shaft 82 previously described.

Suitably secured in forward depending relationship is a downwardly tapered trough member 212 which receives the cleaned seed from the cleaningcylinder, said trough having a lower end portion 214 extending within the open end 202 of the mixing drum whereby the cleaned seed, which has been treated with a treating substance will be directed.

As seen in Figures 3 and 5 the housing member includes a longitudinally extending partition 216 which separates the hopper, cleaning cylinder and mixing cylinder from a seed conveyor assembly indicated genorally at 218 and a seed treatment material reservoir indicated generally at 220. The conveyor assembly comprises a pair of vertically extending walls 221 and 222 having a suitable bottom member 224 extending therebetween, and have disposed therein between an inner surface portion of the side wall 221 and the partition 216 vertically spaced suitably journaled support shafts 226 and 228 having journaled thereon by means of suitable sprockets 230 and 232, respectively, a suitable endless conveyor chain 234 which includes a plurality of transversely disposed seed pickup slats 236 which terminate adjacent the walls of the conveyor duct 221 and 222. The partition 216 terminates at 238, see Figure 3, for receiving treated seed from a downwardly disposed trough member 240 which is integrally secured to the bottom member 224 of the conveyor duct which has an upper end 242 disposed beneath the open end 200 of the mixing drum.' The conveyor duct terminates in an upper hood portion 246 and a downwardly directed spout portion 248 having secured thereon in any suitable manner a flexible sleeve 250 having a pivoted open end portion 252 suitably secured thereon for directing cleaned and treated seed downwardly, the flexible sleeve 250 being swingable between the position shown in Figure l for filling seed bags 254 as will subsequently bedescribed.

The treatment substance reservoir 220 comprises a tank 256 which extends substantially the length of the 7 housing member having a downwardly sloping bottom portion 258 terminating in a lower narrow sump portion 260 containing therein a suitable pump assembly 262 suchlasIa centrifugal liquid pump, which has'an intake portion264 in direct communication with the interior of the reservoir tank 256, said pump including a lateral drive shaft 266 having a suitable drive pulley 268 secured thereon and driven by a drive belt 270 journaled thereover, said belt 270 being driven by the support shaft 196 of the treating drum in any suitable manner. The pump 262 has an outlet portion 269 which communicates to a suitable conduit 271 terminating in a pressure can 272 having a suitable transverse screen 274 disposed therein, see Figure 7, said screen being interposed between the conduit 271 and a communicating conduit 276 for straining the treatment material therethrough, said conduif 276 Communicating with an ated distributing" nozzle 278. The nozzle 278 includes an elongated open slot 280 controlled by an elongated valve control mem her 282 journaled in an elongated housing 284 of said nozzle, the valve member 282 being controlled by means of a laterally extending suitably sealed handle portion 286 extending out of said housing 284. The nozzle 278 is supported in transverse relation to the lower end 214 of the trough 212 and permits the emission of anelongated spray 288 treatment material upon the seed which has been cleaned, and accordingly, the sprayed seed is mixedin the mixing drum 198.

The pressure can communicates with a second conduit 290which terminates at 292 interiorly of the reservoir tank 256 and serves to agitate or mix the treatment substance contained therein.

Disposed on the outer portion of the side wall 200,

see Figure 1, are pairs of vertically extending channel members 294 and 296 having their web portions ex tending outwardly, each of said Web portions including. a plurality of vertically disposed securing apertures comprising elongated vertical slot portions 298 connected to a horizontally disposed slot portion 300 terminating in an outwardly disposed vertical slot portion 302 of a shorter length than the first mentioned vertical slot,

portion 298.

A bag support ring is indicated generally at 304 and includes a resilient circular portion 306 terminating in a pair of straight leg portions 308 which terminate in downwardly directed rightangular portions 310. The central portion 306 includes an integral outwardly and angularly extending clip element 312 extending toward,

the legs 308 for a purpose to be subsequently described. The ring 304 is supported in the channels 294 and 296 by first inserting the leg portions 310 into the longervertical slots 298, the inherent resiliency of the central portion 306 urging them outwardly away from each other in the horizontal slot portion 300, the legs being supported in the smaller vertical 'slot portions 302. As seen in Figure l the bag 254 is inserted within the circular portion 306 of the support ring in overlying rela' tionship relative to the clip element 312. A fastening or securing ring comprising a conical collar is indicated at 314 and includes a downwardly and angularly directed securing clip 316, the ring and clip 314 and 316,

respectively, being at approximately the same angle as the element 312 on the ring 306 to retain'the bag 254 l in a relatively fixed and upwardly opening position, see

Figure 10, while filling of the same, it being understood that two bags 254 may be supported simultaneously in order that the seed cleaning machine will not have to be shut ofi, this being accomplished by clasping the flexible portion 250 on the conveyor assembly and one bag is filled and swinging the same to the adjacent:

empty bag.

While not previously described, it will be noted in Figure 3, that the portion 48 of the hopper has a suitable bracket 318 secured thereto, said bracket 318 having fixedly secured thereto in any suitable manner a longi-' tudinally extending brush assembly 320 having a bristle portion 322 which is engageable with the outer peripheral portion of the seed cleaning cylinder when the same is rotated for removing debris from the material separating apertures of said cylinder.

There accordingly has been disclosed a seed cleaning V -2'.':Anapparatus;for cleaning;

slgilledfintthe artgit'is not desired-torlimitithe invention: totthelexact construction and operation shown and described,:and-accordingly all suit-able modifications and:

equivalents rnayfbe' resorted to; falling within the scope ofthe'invention as claimed.

What is claimedas new isas' follows:

15" An: apparatus for cleaning; 1 treating and bagging seed1comprising' a housing member, an upwardly open ing'liopperiportion in the top of saidhousingfmember,

seedconveyingand dispensing means at one end of the hopper,. a horizontally' disposed' open ended seed cleaning cylinder supported for rotation {011 its longitudinal axislbetweensaid hopper portion; conveying means on said housing member directing seed f romsaidhopper 'int'o ronoopeniend" ofsaid cylinder, force draft means'in said housing urging air longitudinally through the cylinde'r forremoving'ion'e separatiouofmaterial from said se'ed;power rotating meansengageable with said cylinder 1 causing-longitudinalmovement.of'the seed through the cylinder along the lower inner periphery thereof for removingva' second sepaartion'of material but the other open end :of said cylinderjsaid'cylinder including annularly disposedlongitudinally extending aperture portions extending through said cylinder for accommodating the passages of seed therethrough and constituting another separation of material, a horizontally disposed open ended mixing drum supportedfo r rotation on its longitudinal axis beneath said cleaning cylinder, conveying means extending beneath the cleaning cylinder for conveying separated seed into one end of said mixing drum,

pressure operated seed treatment dispensing means overlying the last mentioned conveying means for applying a trea-tmentsubstance upon the separated seed prior to entry into the "one end of said' mixing drum, power rotating me'ans engageable with said mixing drum for moving treated seed longitudinally out through the other open end of said drum, and seed elevating and dispensing meanstextending fromthe other open end of said drum exteriorly of' said housing; for bagging separated and treated-seed; a

treating and bagging seed as set forth in claim 1 wherein the apertured por- 77 means comprises apropellermemberrotatablysupported'1 tions"extendingthrough said cylinder are comprised 'of separatedbanks'of different sized aperture portions extending through-said cylinder providing plural separa-. tionsofmaterial, the last bank of apertures accommodating a predetermined size of seed to be separated. v

' 3. An'tapparatus' for cleaning, treating' and bagging seed asset forth in'claim '2 including opp'ositelyfldirected conveyorsdisposed between said cleaning cylinder "and mixingdrum'for moving'the plural separations of rnate- V rialitoward opposite ends of said housingmember.

'4..'An apparatusfor cleaning, treating and bagging seed asset forth'in claim 1 wherein said cleaning cylinder includes an outer cylinder including aplura'lity'of annu- Y larly disposed.longitudinally extendingaperture port-ions,

andga' pair ofsinnerj coaxially aligned cylinders telescopif cally received in saidoutercylinder, said inner cylinders each including a'plurality of annularly disposed longitudin'ally extending aperture portions alignable with the aperture portions of the outer cylinder for providing different separation of material, the aperture portions of.

the touter'andj inner cylinders being alignable providing a predetermined sized aperture for'permitting-the pasenemas cooperating apertures;v

"therein;- a v 9. An apparatustor clean-ing treating andiba g'ging sagezofr 'seed-:therethrbugh, and adjusting'1meausvexteiid?a ing between the outer and inner cylinders permitting-rear I V 'spective:relativeadjusting rotation; ab'out th'e frespectivelongitudinal-axes thereof. for controlling theEsize ofthe 5 An apparatus for cleaning, treating; and'bagging seed-as 'set forthiintclaim 1 wherein said hopper port-ioni extends longitudinally on said housing, the seed dispensing; a

and conveying. means comprising an endless conveyor: in thebottom of said hopper, saidlropper'including'iad justable gate means at the 'rec eivin-g endoftsaid; con

veyor controlling'movement of uncleaned'seed from-said" hopper; 1 and trough means extending. from: said gate a means directingzuncleaned"seed into the cleaning cylinder; 1

6. 'An apparatus for: cleaning-rtreating, and. baggingia seed as set forth in'clairn 11 wherein said 'force'draft' in; axial alignment with" the longitudinal axisof's'aid cleaning cylinder, ,saiddlrousrngkmember including adjustable aperture meansinaligninentwithsaid propeller member for controlling the velocity V of: air directed through said cleauing-cylinden 7. An apparatu's'for cleaning," treating and bagging! seed a's'rset forth in claim '1 including fixedbrush means on said housing extending longitudinally in outer peripheral'engagement with said cleaning cylinder for remov-' overlying relationship't-o said trough element providing a uniform pressure" spray of treatment substance :upon' seed passing therebenea'thpa treatment substance reser voir'in said housing, pressurepumpmeans including an" inlet in communication withithebottom :of "said reservoir,

a pressurized treatment substance receiving chamber interpos'ed between-the outlet of .said pressure pump and J said outlet nozzle element, screening means in 'said'ch'am-i ber interposed between said pump means and nozzle ele-' ment, and conduit means extending from said pressure chamber and extending: into an 'upper portion of said reservoir for agitating thextreatment substance contained seed as set forth in claim' l'whereinisaidseed elevating and dispensing means comprises a downwardly disposed" "trough element extendingiifrom the other open end of' 7 said mixing drum 'to'an' elevator'duct in said housing; a r conveyor vertically supported: in said elevator duct, "and I flexible jnoz'zle dispensing means in" communication with said elevator duct for fillingbags of treated seed. L a r 4,099,420 Bryan June.9, 1914 2,113,153 .Jonassen Apr.'5,'1938 Kelrick 1949 

